Feel free to contribute! Good luck for me discovering this group before I got toooooo old. Other titles on the album included "Marie Lavaux", "Sing Me A Rainbow", "Hey Lady Godiva", "Four Years Older Than Me", "Kiss It Away", "Makin' It Natural", "I Call That True Love", "When She Cries", "Judy", and "Mama, I'll Sing One Song For You". When told by a club owner that they needed a name to put on a poster in the window of his establishment, Cummings made a sign: "Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show: Tonic for the Soul." "When You're in Love with a Beautiful Woman" reached number 1 for several weeks in 1979 in the UK and they had another UK hit single with "Better Love Next Time" (number 12). By then, the popularity of the band - as plain Dr. Hook - on the boards gave false impressions of their standing in market terms. Drummer John Wolters died of cancer in 1997. The founding core of the band consisted of three Southerners, George Cummings, Ray Sawyer, (from Alabama) and Billy Francis, who had worked together in a band called The Chocolate Papers. When anyone asked the band which one of them was 'Dr Hook' they always directed everyone to the bus driver. Read Full Biography. As a result, the band was signed to CBS Records. The band embarked on a punishing touring schedule with a diverting act, riven with indelicate humour that came to embrace an increasing number of their own compositions. Haffkine visited Jann Wenner, one of the founders of Rolling Stone, proclaiming "I’ve just given you guys the best commercial for this rag that you’ll ever get." Ray Sawyer, who cut a distinctive figure as a member of the band Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show thanks to his flamboyant style and attention-drawing eye patch, and who sang lead on … Dennis Locorriere - vocals, guitar, bass, harmonica (1968-1985)Ray Sawyer - vocals, guitar, percussion, congas, maracas (1967-1983, died 2018)Billy Francis - keyboards (1968-1985; died 2010)George Cummings - lead and steel guitars, vocals (1968-1975)John "Jay" David - drums (1968-1973)Rik Elswit - lead guitar (1972-1985)Jance Garfat - bass (1972-1985; died 2006)John Wolters - drums (1973-1982, 1983-1985; died 1997)Bob 'Willard' Henke - guitar (1976-1980)Rod Smarr - guitar (1980-1985; died 2012)Walter Hartman - drums (1982-1983)Leonard Wolfe - keyboards (early 80s)Joseph Olivier - drums (1968), Studio and live albums(for the 1975 Bankrupt album the band name was shortened to Dr. Hook), Year Album Peak chart positionsUS US Country CAN UK DEN1971 Doctor Hook 45 — 38 — 51973 Sloppy Seconds 41 — 16 — —1973 Belly Up! Billy Francis was born on January 16, 1942 in Mississippi, USA as William Allen Francis. American vocalist best known as the singer for the 1970s band Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show. Wenner then sent Cameron Crowe (who later wrote and directed Jerry Maguire), then 16 years old, to interview the band for issue 131 (March 1973). The Medicine Show's lineup changed a few more times over the years. Hook and the Medicine Show". Dr Hook / Greatest Hit… DR. HOOK. Ray Sawyer (February 1, 1937 – December 31, 2018) was an American singer and vocalist with the 1970s rock band Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show. This was better expressed in the title Bankrupt, the fifth album. He started his music career at the very young age. Sharing The Night Toge… Dr. Hook. April 1975 75-2233-001 It also reached number two on the UK Singles Chart and was Dr. Hook's joint second-best UK chart placing, matching "Sylvia's Mother". Dennis Locorriere retained ownership of the Dr. Hook name. Ray Sawyer had lost his right eye in a near-fatal car crash in Oregon in 1967, and thereafter always wore an eyepatch. CD: $12.34. Francis, who had returned south after the Chocolate Papers broke up, returned to be the new band's keyboardist. They then took on future primary vocalist, New Jersey native Dennis Locorriere, at first as a bass player. "Life Ain't Easy" 68 — — — — — — — — — —1974 "Cops And Robbers" — — — — — — — — — — — Singles Only"The Ballad of Lucy Jordan" — — — — — — — — — —1975 "The Stimu Dr. Hook" — — — — — — — — — — — Promo Only"The Millionaire" 95 — — 8 — — — — — — — Bankrupt"Everybody's Makin' It Big But Me" — — — — — — — — 36 — —"Only Sixteen" 6 55 14 8 3 — 9 — — — —1976 "A Little Bit More" 11 — 15 10 4 — 6 2 13 — 2 A Little Bit More"A Couple More Years" — 51 — — — — — — — — —"If Not You" 55 26 21 69 56 — 9 3 — — 51977 "Walk Right In" 46 92 39 1 77 — 30 — — — — Makin' Love and Music1978 "More Like the Movies" — — — 93 — — — 4 — — 14 A Little Bit More"Sharing the Night Together" 6 50 18 10 3 40 4 — 12 — 43 Pleasure and Pain1979 "All the Time in the World" 54 82 41 — 60 64 12 — — — —"When You're in Love with a Beautiful Woman" 6 68 5 20 4 22 7 1 2 — 1"Better Love Next Time" 12 91 3 24 39 — 10 6 7 — 8 Sometimes You Win1980 "Sexy Eyes" 5 — 6 41 8 — 1 3 1 20 4"Years From Now" 51 — 17 72 63 — 3 — — — 47"Girls Can Get It" 34 — — 3 — — — — — 5 40 Rising1981 "That Didn't Hurt Too Bad" 69 — — — — — — — — — —"Body Talking" — — — — — — — — 36 — —"The Wild Colonial Boy" — — — 4 — — — — — — — Single Only 1982 "Baby Makes Her Blue Jeans Talk" 25 — — 11 17 — — — 4 1 — Players in the Dark"Loveline" 60 — 19 — — — — — — — —. Ron Haffkine arranged a meeting with Clive Davis, CBS Records described in Davis's autobiography. Sporting denims and buckskin, Dr. Hook And The Medicine Show epitomized much of the countrified and ‘laid-back’ style that was in vogue during the early 70s, but though their material was sung in a Dixie drawl and three members were genuine southerners, they began in 1968 as a New Jersey bar band with one-eyed Dr. Hook (b. 1 chart status in more than 42 countries. Silverstein continued to write songs for Dr. Hook, including their entire second album, Sloppy Seconds, now released 16 times in the US, Australia, UK, Netherlands, Europe, and Canada. Musical Director It was when Haffkine discovered a song called "A Little Bit More", written and originally performed by Bobby Gosh and released on his 1973 album Sitting in the Quiet, on a vinyl record costing 35 cents at a flea market in San Francisco, that things exploded for Dr. Hook. One evening they impressed a talent scout looking for an outfit to record Playboy cartoonist Shel Silverstein’s film score to Who’s Harry Kellerman And Why Is He Saying These Terrible Things About Me? New guitarists Bob Henke and Rod Smarr passed through the line-up, and in 1982 Sawyer left to pursue a solo career. Ray Sawyer - the eye-patch wearing singer with Dr Hook & the Medicine Show in the 1970s - … Founding Member, Original Lead Vocalist & Legendary Voice. Subscribe Here Unlike previous projects, this album included original material written by the group. Sharp, witty purveyors of great songs, but somewhat disregarded by the professors of cool on account of their more chart-friendly fodder. Drummer David used a wastepaper basket to keep the beat, and while Sawyer, Locorriere, and Cummings played and sang a few songs, Francis hopped up and danced on the mogul's desk. Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show, shortened in 1975 to Dr. Hook, was an American rock band, formed around Union City, New Jersey in 1967 as The Chocolate Papers. When You're in Love with a Beautiful Woman HQ is performed by Dr Hook in 1979 on American Bandstand. Sporting denims and buckskin, Dr. Hook And The Medicine Show epitomized much of the countrified and ‘laid-back’ style that was in vogue during the early 70s, but though their material was sung in a Dixie drawl and three members were genuine southerners, they began in 1968 as a New Jersey bar band with one-eyed Dr. Hook (b. Ray Sawyer, 1 February 1937, Chickasaw, Alabama, USA; vocals), Denis Locorriere (b. The group had a difficult time meeting the high expectations created by Sloppy Seconds, and the result was Belly Up! The Alabama-born Sawyer – who founded the group with Dennis Locorriere, Billy Francis and George Cummings – was a member of Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show from 1969 to 1981. It has been released 20 times in the US, UK, Netherlands, Italy, Yugoslavia, Canada, Europe, Spain, and Greece. When the band began recording their first album, Olivier left in order to spend more time with his family, and was replaced by session player, John "Jay" David, who was asked to join the band full-time in 1968. Though the band toured constantly, they never managed to turn their success with singles into album sales. He died on May 23, 2010 in Missouri, USA. • Dennis Locorriere - vocals, guitar, bass, harmonica (1968-1985) Throughout the 80s, Dr. Hook’s chart strikes were confined mainly to North America (even if a 1981 concert album was taped in London), becoming more sporadic as the decade wore on. Sharing the spotlight on guitar and lead vocals, the duo teamed up with Sawyer 's bandmates from a group called the Chocolate Papers: George Cummings (lead and steel guitars), Billy Francis (keyboards), and Popeye Phillips (drums). The band had changed labels again, to Casablanca Records in 1980, but could not replicate earlier successes. In 1995, Sawyer released an album containing re-recordings of many of the classic Dr. Hook hits under the name Dr. Hook featuring Ray Sawyer, a group which consisted of no original members other than Sawyer himself. He released several solo albums and did concert tours under the names Voice of Dr. Hook and Dennis Locorriere Celebrates Dr. Hook Hits and History tour. When Dr Hook was formed in 1968, it comprised three former members of the Chocolate Papers: Sawyer, the guitarist George Cummings and the … The album sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA on August 2, 1972. This meeting secured the band their first record deal. Though primarily a backing vocalist and occasional percussionist on congas or maracas, he sang lead on their hit song "The Cover of Rolling Stone" and was a recognizable presence in the band owing to the eyepatch and cowboy hat he wore. As a kid turned on to punk and new wave, I steered clear of admitting interest in a band best known at the… With Locorriere taking the lion’s share of lead vocals by then, the same year’s Sometimes You Win was the wellspring of two more international smashes, ‘Better Love Next Time’ and ‘Sexy Eyes’. Dr. Hook was just as famed for their crazed stage antics, which ranged from surreal banter to impersonating their own opening acts, but it was the group's nonchalance about business matters that led to bankruptcy. Almost immediate international success (US number 5/UK number 2) followed with ‘Sylvia’s Mother’ from their debut album. Phillips soon moved home to Alabama … The single "Sylvia's Mother", a subtle parody of teen-heartbreak weepers, flopped on first release, but with some more promotional muscle became the band's first million-seller, and hit the top five in the summer of 1972. Cummings, who moved to New Jersey with the plan of forming a new band, brought back Sawyer to rejoin him. included "Acapulco Goldie", "Penicillin Penny", "Life Ain't Easy", "When Lily Was Queen", "Monterey Jack", "You Ain't Got The Right", "Put A Little Bit On Me", "Ballad Of…. Their music spanned several genres, mostly novelty songs and acoustic ballads in their early years; their greatest success came with their later material, mostly consisting of disco-influenced soft rock, which the band recorded under the shortened name Dr. Hook. They enjoyed considerable commercial success in the 1970s with hit singles including "Sylvia's Mother", "The Cover of 'Rolling Stone'" (both 1972), "Only Sixteen" (1975), "A Little Bit More" (1976), "Sharing the Night Together" (1978), "When You're in Love with a Beautiful Woman" (1979), "Better Love Next Time" (1979), and "Sexy Eyes" (1980). In late 1980, Dr. Hook released "Girls Can Get It" (number 34) and had their final hit (which peaked at number 25) with "Baby Makes Her Blue-Jeans Talk" in 1982. The band played for a few years in New Jersey, first with drummer Popeye Phillips (who had also been in The Chocolate Papers), who went on to be a session drummer on The Flying Burrito Brothers' first album, The Gilded Palace of Sin. - and the US-only Fried Face, their last album before transferring to Capitol Records - and the first with new drummer John Wolters (b. John Christian Wolters 28 April 1945, Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, New York, USA, d. July 1997). Billy Francis, Actor: Night Trap. Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show. “Sylvia’s Mother” Shel Silverstein gave the band their first hit with this song based on a phone call … With the help of producer Haffkine, the group recorded two songs for the film: Locorriere sang the lead on both "The Last Morning", the movie's theme song, later re-recorded for their second album Sloppy Seconds, and "Bunky and Lucille", which the band can be seen performing in the film. Newsletter. For extra Dr Hook features, photos & media please visit. Hook'. The hit from the project was a reworked version of Sam Cooke's "Only Sixteen" (US number 6), revitalizing their career and charted in the top ten in 1976. Locorriere, as a founding member of Dr. Hook, was the recipient of more than 60 gold and platinum singles, gaining No. He was considered by many as one of the Founding members of the rock group Dr. Hook and The Medicine Show along with former band mates from The Chocolate Papers George Cummings and Ray Sawyer in Union City, New Jersey in the late '60s. Elswit recovered and returned to the lineup, but they kept Henke on as well for a while. With the line-up augmented by Rik Elswit (guitar) and Jance Garfat (bass), the follow-up, Sloppy Seconds, was also penned entirely by Silverstein, and was attended by a US Top 10 hit that cited portrayal on ‘The Cover Of ‘The Rolling Stone’’ (which was dogged by a BBC ban in the UK) as the zenith of the band’s ambition - which they later achieved in March 1973. The Alabama-born Sawyer – who founded the group with Dennis Locorriere, Billy Francis and George Cummings – was a member of Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show from 1969 to 1981. After that, he became member of band Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show. The three members in the band relocated from the South to New Jersey and after they hired the New Jersey native Dennis Locorriere as their vocalist, they named themselves Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show. Trivia image caption Ray Sawyer, of Dr Hook & the Medicine Show, died after a brief illness. By this point, Cummings had left the line-up. Next came a UK number 1 in early 1979 with ‘When You’re In Love With A Beautiful Woman’ from the million-selling Pleasure & Pain. The band had eight years of regular chart hits, in both the United States, where their music was played on top-40, easy listening, and country music outlets, and throughout the English-speaking world including the UK, Canada and South Africa. Ray Sawyer left in 1983 to pursue a solo career, while the band continued to tour successfully for another couple of years, ending with Dr. Hook's One and Only Farewell Tour in 1985, with Locorriere as the sole frontman. The "Hook" name was inspired by Sawyer's eyepatch and a reference to Captain Hook of the Peter Pan fairy tale, although, humorously, because Captain Hook was neither a doctor nor wore an eyepatch. Belly Up! Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show appeared on the cover, albeit in caricature rather than in a photograph. In 2019 he will start the Dr Hook 50th Anniversary World Tour. Locorriere’s efforts as a Nashville-based songwriter had all but put the tin lid on Dr. Hook by the mid-80s. His wife name is linda. When David left the group in 1973, he was replaced by John Wolters. Dennis Locorriere. A new version of Last.fm is available, to keep everything running smoothly, please reload the site. In 1970, their demo tapes were heard by Ron Haffkine, musical director on the planned Herb Gardner movie, Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? When Henke left in 1980, they added Rod Smarr.In 1974 Dr. Hook recorded an album that was to be titled Fried Face; it went unreleased and was never issued by Columbia. Dr Hook, which at one point expanded to seven members, enjoyed an intermittent romance with the charts. Sawyer died on 28 December 2018. When Elswit was diagnosed with cancer a couple of years later, the band added Bob "Willard" Henke (formerly of Goose Creek Symphony). John Maher. But Sawyer was increasingly upset at the commercial direction the group's sound was taking. In the United Kingdom, the BBC Radio network refused to play "The Cover of 'Rolling Stone'", because it considered doing so would be advertising a trademark name, which was against the BBC's policy (previously, the Kinks had to change "Coca-Cola" to "Cherry Cola" in their song "Lola" to get around the rule). (1970), and later backed Silverstein’s singing on record. In addition to their own material, Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show performed songs written by the poet Shel Silverstein. The album was sold in the US, UK, Europe, and Canada. Collection DR HOOK. He began putting out music in the early 1960s and formed Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show in 1968. Connect your Spotify account to your Last.fm account and scrobble everything you listen to, from any Spotify app on any device or platform. Haffkine determined that Dr. Hook was the ideal group for the soundtrack. I had never heard of Dr. Hook until our radio station played Sylvia's Mother and I loved it, came home and googled Dr. Hook and found that he was from "way back" in the 60's, days of my youth, so I had to order the album and most every song on it was a song I was familiar with. Save for "A Little Bit More" (number 11), all the singles mentioned above were certified million-sellers. Dr Hook, legendary voice, Dennis Locorriere, presents the Dr Hook 50th Anniversary Tour 2019 - 2020 However, a revival of Sam Cooke’s ‘Only Sixteen’, redressed the balance financially, by rocketing up the US Hot 100. Sign Up For The. MP3: $9.49. Follow-ups to "A Little Bit More" included "Sharing the Night Together" (number 6), "When You're in Love with a Beautiful Woman" (number 6), "Better Love Next Time", and "Sexy Eyes" (number 5), which featured prominent female backup singers. $50.44. From 1988 to 2015, Sawyer was granted a license to tour separately as "Ray Sawyer of Dr. Hook" or "Dr. Hook featuring Ray Sawyer" (joined for a time in 2001 by Billy Francis); Sawyer did not perform publicly after his last tour ended in October 2015. Artist descriptions on Last.fm are editable by everyone. Pleasure & Pain(1978) was Dr. Hook's first gold album. Other titles on the album were "If I'd Only Come And Gone", "The Things I Didn't Say", "Carry Me Carrie", "Get My Rocks Off", "Last Mornin'", "I Can't Touch The Sun", "Queen Of The Silver Dollar", "Turn On The World", and "Stayin' Song". The film, released in 1971 by National General Pictures, received mixed critical reviews and did only modestly at the box office, but it helped Dr. Hook and The Medicine Show secure their first recording contract. Silverstein wrote all the songs for their self-titled debut album, released in 1972. Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show was an American rock band formed in Union City, New Jersey, USA in 1968. CD: $6.78 MP3: $9.99. Formed 1968 in New Jersey as Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show, disbanded in 1985.Their name was shortened in 1975 to Dr. Hook. In 1972, the band added a full-time bassist, Jance Garfat, and another guitarist, Rik Elswit. Although Dennis … The BBC only found itself able to play the song after some of its DJs edited themselves shouting the words "Radio Times" (at the time, a BBC-owned magazine) over "Rolling Stone". They were forced to file bankruptcy in 1974, although they continued to tour incessantly. He was a renowned figure for the eyepatch and cowboy hat that he would wear on stage. Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show was an American rock band formed in Union City, New Jersey, USA in 1968. Professor at the Uniformed Services Univ., Bethesda, MD., Dr. Hook joined the UCSD medical school as faculty member. Before Fame. 141 — — — 71974 Fried Face (Unreleased) — — — — —1975 Bankrupt 141 — — — 21976 A Little Bit More 62 18 69 5 11977 Makin' Love and Music — — — 39 —1978 Pleasure and Pain 66 17 93 47 —1979 Sometimes You Win 71 — 59 14 —1980 Rising 175 — — 44 —1981 Live in the U.K. (US title: Dr. Hook Live) — — — 90 —1982 Players in the Dark 118 — — — —1983 Let Me Drink From Your Well — — — — —, Compilation albumsYear Album Peak chart positionsUS AUS CAN UK1976 Dr. Hook Revisited — — — —1980 Greatest Hits 142 — 32 21984 The Rest of Dr. Hook — — — —1987 Greatest Hits (And More) — 2 — —1992 Completely Hooked - The Best of Dr. Hook — — — 31995 Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show - Greatest Hits — — — —1996 Sharing the Night Together - The Best Of Dr. Hook — — — —1999 Love Songs — — — 82007 Hits and History — — — 142007 Greatest Hooks — — — —2014 Timeless — 36 — 92016 Collected — — — —, SinglesYear Single Peak chart positions AlbumUS US Country US AC AUS CAN CAN Country CAN AC IRE NZ SA UK1971 "Last Morning" — — — — — — — — — — — Who Is Harry Kellerman And Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?1972 "Sylvia's Mother" 5 — — 1 2 — — 1 1 1 2 Dr. Hook"Carry Me Carrie" 71 — — — 82 — — — — — — Sloppy Seconds"The Cover of Rolling Stone" 6 — — 32 2 — — — 3 —1973 "Roland the Roadie and Gertrude the Groupie" 83 — — — 74 — — — — — — Belly Up! Greatest Hooks Dr. Hook. Rollicking '70s outfit famous for both Shel Silverstein-penned country-rock and soft-rock hits. In 1973, all was not well for Haffkine and Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show. ICONIC 1970's Pop/Rock Band Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show's sardonic, country-flavored pop/rock made them one of the most fondly remembered 1970's acts. The band did not initially replace him. He shared lead vocal duties with other hook band members Dennis Locorriere, Ray Sawyer and George Cummings. Dr. Hook is credited as Rock band, Sylvia's Mother single, One Of The Lucky Ones. Dr. Hook were always something of a musical conundrum for me. According to Steve Huey, of All Music Guide, it solidified their reputation as "disco-tinged balladeers". The band shortened its name to Dr. Hook in 1975. 13 June 1949, New Jersey, USA; guitar/vocals), George Cummings (b. Meridian, Mississippi, USA; lead/slide guitar), Billy Francis (b. William Francis, Ocean Springs, Mississippi, USA; keyboards) and Jay David (b. Bayonne, New Jersey, USA; drums).